Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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50. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the actions she is taking to allay the concerns expressed by organisations (details supplied) regarding the circular recently issued by her Department relating to the SET allocation for each school from the 2024-2025 school year until further notice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23871/24]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I want to thank the Deputy for raising this issue.

The Special Education teaching allocation model for 2024/25 distributes the total available number of SET posts in line with each school’s profile of need.

It seeks to distribute teaching resources in the fairest possible manner, taking into account quality, robust evidence in respect of individual schools.

This ensures that resources are in the right place at the right time to meet the needs of children in mainstream.

There will more Special Education Teachers in our schools in September 2024 than ever before – an increase of 1,000 from 2020/21 school year. This is in addition to a significant reduction in class teachers sizes at primary level over three budgets to where our Pupil to Teacher Ratio at primary level is now 23:1.

This means, more than ever, children with SEN in our mainstream schools are best supported to meet their needs.

In addition the model will now be run annually in line with general teacher allocations. This allows schools to better plan their staffing structures and gives them time to arrange clusters in areas where schools share an SET teacher.

There has been a limited change to the method used to allocate SET to mainstream classes. This review involved extensive consultation and visits to schools by the NCSE to look at the strengths and shortcomings of the allocation model. The feedback has been incorporated into the revised model for 2024/25.

The review of the SET model focused on ensuring that we had the best possible data available to inform the distribution of resources to our schools.

Our policy relating to supporting all of our children in our schools based on their level of need remains.

The policy that individual schools are required to adhere to is the principle that the allocation is utilised to ensure that those pupils with the greatest level of need receive the greatest level of support and this remains unchanged.

Therefore the revised profiles are directly correlated to, and focused on, pupils with the greatest level of need.

The Department acknowledges that every school is different, and that schools can experience unique circumstances that may be difficult to reflect in any standardised method. This is always a challenge when making allocations in respect of 4,000 schools. It is for this reason that the Department, working with the NCSE has streamlined the review process for special education teaching hours and schools who have any concerns can engage with the NCSE on their allocation.

Additional resources will be provided to schools in cases where the NCSE have identified that this is required.

It is important to note that SET hours are only one component of support for children in mainstream but the most important support is the mainstream class teacher. The pupil teacher ratio at primary level is now 23:1 which means there are more mainstream teachers than ever before in our educational system.

The circulars have been publicly supported by the National Parents Council and bodies representing principals at both primary and post primary.

Since the publication of the allocations for 2024/25, officials in my department have undertaken very considerable briefings with the organisations that you have mentioned to address their concerns.

A full day in person briefing session took place on Monday the 4th March with the organisations mentioned, the National Parents Council and Senior officials from my Department, NSCE and NEPS.

This briefing provided an opportunity for the organisation to raise their concerns and to allow the departments Senior Official to respond to and clarify any misperceptions. Following the meeting the department provided the organisations with written responses including presentations on the changes.

Department officials have been in communications with the organisations in recent weeks in relation to work that is ongoing on updating the guidelines for schools on the deployment and usage of the Special Education Teachers resources allocated.

The organisations feedback was received earlier this week and is being reviewed by the working group at present.

In addition, the Department meet with, and consult with these groups on a regular basis on a range of issues, either pertinent to their own members or regarding national policy.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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51. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the action she will take to make sufficient resources available in schools for children with additional needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23916/24]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I understand that this is an anxious time for parents who are seeking a school place for their child for September and I would like to assure the Deputy that this government is determined to alleviate the pressures faced by parents when seeking a special educational placement.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through their special educational needs organisers (SENOs) work closely with families regarding options for school placements and other special education supports. Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally using the details on the NCSE's website.

My department and the NCSE work closely in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places, work which is close to finalisation for the 2024/25 school year.

So far more than 320 new special classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE nationwide for the 2024/25 school year. The NCSE continue to sanction some additional classes for the coming school year and is engaged in ongoing discussions with schools. As new classes are sanctioned, the NCSE will support families to make applications for places.

I have asked the NCSE to ensure classes are established as a matter of urgency and to keep all families seeking class places updated on an ongoing basis to ensure their children can access the provision to which they are entitled.

I referenced earlier that this government is committed to alleviating the pressures faced by parents seeking a special educational placement.

Significant additional resources and funding of €13 million have been allocated to the NCSE to allow for the expansion of its services, which will bolster the level of service and provide effective structures to relieve pressure on parents.

This funding has allowed for, among other things, a significant increase in the number of SENOs which will increase from 73 to 120 by next September. These SENOs will work closely with children, their families and schools on the ground in order to provide the necessary supports.

Additional administrative support staff, team managers and other professionals are also being employed to allow SENOs concentrate on working directly with schools and families.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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52. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children in Laois who have been assessed as requiring a place in an ASD unit at primary school level; where new classes will be provided in September in County Laois; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23737/24]

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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59. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of pupils in Laois who have been assessed as requiring a place in an ASD unit at secondary school level; where new classes will be provided in September in County Laois; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23738/24]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 52 and 59 together.

I understand that this is an anxious time for parents who are seeking a school place for their child for September and I would like to assure the Deputy that this government is determined to alleviate the pressures faced by parents when seeking a special educational placement.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through their special educational needs organisers (SENOs) work closely with families regarding options for school placements and other special education supports. Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally using the details on the NCSE's website.

My department and the NCSE work closely in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places, work which is close to finalisation for the 2024/25 school year.

So far more than 320 new special classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE nationwide for the 2024/25 school year, and of these 11 are in County Laois, 6 at primary level and 5 at post-primary level. This brings to 99 the number of special classes in the county. The NCSE continue to sanction some additional classes for the coming school year and is engaged in ongoing discussions with schools. As new classes are sanctioned, the NCSE will support families to make applications for places.

The attached document provides a breakdown of the 11 new classes in County Laois for the 2024/25 school year as of 21 May 2024.

My department and the NCSE are actively engaging with school patrons and management bodies to ensure additional special classes for the coming school year are provided in areas where they are needed.

I expect these remaining new special classes will be finalised in the coming weeks and that this additional provision – coupled with vacancies in existing special classes - will provide the additional capacity needed. The NCSE advise that there are significant numbers of vacant places in existing special classes also available throughout the country.

It is important to note that there are vacancies in existing special classes as children move from primary to post primary or leave our school system. These places are filled on an ongoing basis.

Furthermore, the NCSE is working with schools who may be available to open classes for September 2024 but whose capacity may not be required at this time. They will remain options for additional provision if required throughout the 2024/25 school year.

The enrolment process for school places takes place at local school level, with decisions on admission resting with individual schools. Therefore, the position for each child will continue to evolve as the enrolment processes - some of which are still underway for new classes - comes to a conclusion.

This government has heard the voice of the parents in regard to the anxiety faced when seeking placement in a special educational setting.

For that reason, this government has provided significant additional resources to the NCSE to allow for their expansion. We will have 120 local special educational needs organisers at a local level in September who are a pivotal point of contact for parents, guardians and schools. This increase in on-the-ground support coupled with enhanced capacity of other services within the NCSE will bolster the level of service and provide effective structures to relieve pressure on parents.

The NCSE are working tirelessly with the families known to them to access specialist places and this will continue until children are in the places they need to be to ensure they have an appropriate education.